Sauk County Gardener: Tasks to finish before spring arrives
“Surely as cometh the winter, I know there are spring violets under the snow.” ~R. H. Newell (1836-1901)
Sooner than you think, spring will be here and there some tasks you should complete before it arrives.
One big task you need to complete is your dormant tree and shrub pruning. I recommend you finish it sooner versus later to make sure you complete it before the trees break dormancy. Some reasons to prune your trees include controlling size and shape, influencing flowering or fruiting, or helping maintain the tree’s health and appearance. Another reason to prune is to improve the safety of the tree by removing broken, dead, or diseased branches. For fruit trees, remove no more than a third of the old growth. To learn more about pruning trees, visit hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/pruning-deciduous-trees. This will explain what should be pruned and how to prune.
This is also the time to spray dormant oil to control scale and other overwintering pests. Only spray when the temperature is over 40 degrees F and will remain above freezing for at least 24 hours.
Once again, check your stored bulbs, tubers, corms, and rhizomes and toss any that are soft or rotted. Pot up your tuberous begonias and caladium. Moisten the storing medium if necessary for the remaining stored bulbs, tubers, etc.
Don’t be in a hurry to start too many seeds yet. However, February is the time to start leeks and onion seeds. Also start impatiens, vinca, pansies and geranium seeds. Create your seed-starting calendar for the rest of your seeds if you haven’t already. I picked up a seed-planting schedule. I’ll use it as a guide and validate by reading the back of the seed packets I wish to plant.
Bring spring indoors and force a few branches of pushy willows or Forsythia. Cut a few branches about a foot long at an angle with plenty of fat flower buds on them. Select branches you would normally plan to prune out anyway. Place the branches in a bucket of warm water. Some recommend covering them with a clear plastic bag and putting them in a cool spot for a couple weeks until the buds develop. It’s important the branches do not dry out or the buds won’t bloom. After the buds start to elongate and show color, trim them up, place them in a vase, and move them to a warmer spot. Once they start to bloom, they last about a week. Keep them out of direct sun and away from heat vents. You can also force other spring-flowering trees or shrubs such as crabapples, start magnolia, or dogwood.
As a side note, I worked in the Extension’s booth at the Garden Expo. It was staffed by Master Gardeners and Extension staff and we were excited to answer folks’ gardening questions. Some questions were “easy” to answer, others we had to look up the answers, or ask the true experts, the Extension staff members, to answer. The most important thing we did was reference research-based gardening information. When you have a gardening question or problem, reach out to your local master gardeners, your Extension office staff, or visit hort.extension.wisc.edu/ask-a-gardening-question and submit your gardening question. You’ll receive unbiased answers that you know has been thoroughly researched and proven effective.
Jeannie Manis is a Wisconsin-certified Sauk County Master Gardener volunteer. If you have any gardening questions, please contact the Extension Sauk County by emailing to trripp@wisc.edu or calling the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County office at 608-355-3250.
